October 2018 – A Necessary Woman & How The Vote Was Won



Play Name
A Necessary Woman & How The Vote Was Won
Playwright
Cicely Hamilton and Christopher St John
Performance Start Date
Tuesday, 23 October, 2018
Performance End Date
Saturday, 27 October, 2018
Location:
Harrogate Studio Theatre
Director:
Sue Rawson
Cast
  • Emily Wilding Davison – Shona Lan
  • Mary Tatton – Jenny Antram
  • Winifred – Carole Carpenter
  • Ethel Cole – Emma Towning
  • Lily (the maid) – Natasha Davidson
  • Horace Cole – Bob Mallow
  • Gerald Williams – Richard Naylor
  • Agatha Cole (Horace’s sister) – Alissa Rielly
  • Molly (Horace’s niece) – Natasha Davidson
  • Madame Christine (Horace’s distant relation) – Lesley Wheal
  • Maudie Spark (Horace’s first cousin) – Carole Carpenter
  • Miss Elizabeth Wilkins (Horace’s Aunt) – Anna Hammond
Synopsis

A Necessary Woman Produced by special arrangement with Deborah Clair and Philippa Urquhart. It is Sunday 2nd April 1911 – the night of the Census. Emily Davison, a Suffragette, is hiding in a cupboard in the crypt of the Palace of Westminster. Security is tight. There is a heavy police presence, but she is planning a daring act on Monday morning. Will she achieve her ambition or will Mary, a cleaner, give away her hiding place? This brand new play is based on a true event and was written by Deborah Clair and Philippa Urquhart to celebrate the 2018 suffrage centenary. How The Vote Was Won by Cicely Hamilton and Christopher St John Presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH LTD In the days before radio, one effective way to get a message out and to have it discussed was to produce short plays that could be performed around the country, and so suffrage plays were born! The Government has said that women do not need the vote, as they are all looked after by men! Horace Cole does not believe in Women’s suffrage……but who knows how a man’s mind may be changed! This suffragette comedy was first performed on 13th April 1909 at the Royalty Theatre in London.

Photographs